Important Message to Section Members

Dear Members of the Public Interest Law Section (“PILS”),

On December 11, 2026, the Florida Bar Board of Governors (“BOG”) will vote on a policy that could dissolve our section. If it passes, PILS will have until February 15, 2027, to recruit 565 Florida Bar members in good standing or be dissolved. I am writing to explain the situation and to ask for your help.

BOG Proposal

Proposed Standing Board Policy 5.58 requires every section to maintain membership equal to at least 1% of Florida Bar members in good standing and hold a fund balance to cover the next fiscal year's Bar management fees.

A section that falls short of either requirement by August 15 of any year has until February 15 of the following year to meet it. A section that still falls short is “sunset” by the end of the fiscal year.

This proposal applies the policy retroactively. If the BOG approves the policy, any section with less than 1% of Florida Bar members as of August 15, 2026 will have until February 15, 2027, to meet the requirement or be dissolved.

Where PILS Stands

While PILS has a sufficient fund balance, our membership is below the proposed threshold. We currently have 431 Florida Bar members in good standing, not counting affiliate and law student members. 1% of the Florida Bar’s total members in good standing is 996 members. If this proposal passes, PILS will have until February 15, 2027, to recruit 565 Florida Bar members in good standing. PILS has grown substantially since its founding in 1989, from 110 members to 431 today, an increase of about 292%. Notably, we are currently experiencing the largest member increase in the last 20 years: 50 members (about a 13% increase) since January 2026.

Why PILS Matters

For 37 years, PILS has been a forum for lawyers who advocate for the dignity, security, justice, and liberty of individuals and the public. We are the only section solely focused on the representation and legal rights of underserved Floridians. PILS maintains subject-matter workgroups spanning children’s rights, parents’ advocacy, civil rights and immigration, consumer and tenant protection, and the rights of people with disabilities. We produce written advocacy through amicus briefs, legislative positions, comments, and other policy support. In the past year, we have hosted nearly 60 CLE courses to support our members and their communities. PILS provides networking opportunities, community service opportunities, and stipends for law students. We want to continue supporting these groups and our community. Please help us maintain section status.

How You Can Help

Contact a BOG Representative:

Review this list of BOG representatives. If you know any of these representatives, sign up to contact them and tell them to vote no on proposed Standing Board Policy 5.58.

Help us grow PILS membership:

Invite other Florida Bar members to join PILS. If you have friends who think PILS is valuable to our legal community or deserves a voice, please encourage them to join. If each of us recruits two attorneys who are Florida Bar members in good standing, we will clear the 1% threshold and be able to continue for another year.

Join the Ad Hoc Save PILS Committee:

This committee is coordinating outreach and drafting a written statement to the BOG. If you would like to be involved, please email me at rebecca.klonel@floridalegal.org.

PILS may not be the largest section, but our voice matters, and the BOG needs to hear it before December 11.

Thank you for your support,

Rebecca Klonel

Public Interest Law Section, Chair